


Bargains

by SingingtotheShadows



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Ending, Canon Divergence, F/M, Mates (of course), Sad Ending, Self-Sacrifice, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22672078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingtotheShadows/pseuds/SingingtotheShadows
Summary: "Please," I wept. "I will - I will give you anything - "In which the Cauldron decides to repay a debt, and Feyre is willing to bargain.
Relationships: Feyre Archeron/Rhysand
Comments: 11
Kudos: 51





	Bargains

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! I'm not too sure that I like this fic, but it's been floating around my head for a few days. . .
> 
> Please, tell me what you think!

Tamlin stood there, summoned either by the death of a fellow High Lord or one of the others around me. He was splattered in mud and gore, his new bandolier of knives mostly empty.

He studied Rhys, lifeless before me. Studied all of us - the palms still out.

There was no kindness on his face. No mercy. 

“Please,” was all I said to him.

Then Tamlin glanced between us - at me and my mate. His face did not change.

“ _Please_ ,” I wept, “I will - I will give you _anything_ \- “

Something in his eyes shifted at that. But not kindness. No emotion at all.

I laid my head on Rhysand’s chest, listening for any kind of heartbeat through that armor. 

“Anything,” I breathed to no one in particular. “Anything.”

Looking up at his hesitant footsteps, I watched through blurred eyes as he moved forward, his face empty beneath the blood. He stared at me, studying my face streaked with tears. 

Then he shook his head, backing away. The other High Lords - even Beron - gaped in incredulity and outrage as the High Lord of Spring backed out of the circle, hands still at his sides. Tarquin stepped forward, his face twisting, just as Tamlin winnowed away.

“No,” I rasped, staring at the spot where he’d vanished from. Rhys’ armor was cold, his chest still under my hands.  _ My  _ heart was still beating,  _ my  _ chest still heaving as my sobs renewed.

“No.” I don’t know if I shouted or whispered it. My senses were slipping away, falling prey to that gaping hole in my chest, still tied to the male stiff and cool under my hands. “No. No, no nono _ nonono! No! _ ”

My magic tore from me in a burst of shadow and pain and sorrow, buffeting the Fae gathered around me. It swept across the battlefield, over wounded and sobbing soldiers, battling the current in the distant sea. Clouds parted overhead, fires on the plain below sparking and spitting embers, frost coating the rocks. I closed my eyes, embracing that numbness, as my magic brushed against something enormous and ancient and  _ alive.  _

It pulled me in, my consciousness tumbling away from my body and into that awareness. 

The Cauldron. 

_ Hello,  _ it seemed to say, purring, as it had when Elain used its gift.  _ Hello, child.  _

The Cauldron pressed itself against me.  _ You offered me a bargain earlier. Your soul, for your loved ones.  _

I shuddered, feeling caged as the conscious of the Cauldron circled me.  _ You offered the High Lord of Spring anything. Would you extend the same for me? _

My mind spun, thoughts swirling out of my reach faster than I could acknowledge them.

“Yes,” I breathed. “For him, anything at all.”

It purred again. 

_ Do you accept, child? Anything, for the one who mended me? _

“Yes,” I repeated. For Rhys, I would sell my soul a thousand times. 

_ It is a deal, child. Your soul, for the one who healed me. The High Lord of Night. _

“Thank you,” I whispered to it, feeling its consciousness fade. It chuckled, before throwing me out of that darkness. 

Something broke inside of me, as I was thrown back into my body. Something vital. I thought I heard the crack echoing and fading before my ears even registered the sound. 

Hands were on my cheeks, my shoulders, shaking me. I blinked into Cassian’s tear-blurred, fiery hazel eyes, noting the pain and grief and - rage. Mor’s wracking sobs rang in my ears, along with a softer, sighing cry. Azriel. My family, crying for Rhys. Cassian shook me again.

“What did you do?” he snarled roughly, and I wondered how he knew. His pained, coarse voice drew the others’ attention. My eyes flickered to Mor, who was curled in Azriel’s arms. Her red, tearstained face turned to me, confusion flashing in her eyes. Azriel stiffened, a shadow slithering up his wing, curling around his ear. His hollow, aching eyes snapped to me, filling with flames. 

Cassian shook me again, drawing my eyes back to him just as Mor let out a shrieking cry and threw herself at me. Fresh sobs tore from her as she shoved Cassian away, holding me close and rocking back and forth. A rasping breath broke from my lips, and my vision grew blurry at the edges. Faintly, I noticed the others. 

Helion - he understood. His battered legs gave out, sending him to his knees. Tarquin realized next, stumbling away as Varian set a shaking hand on his shoulder. Mor’s embrace grew tighter as if her arms could keep the bargain at bay. But the haziness was pressing in on my vision, and I welcomed it.

I pulled at the mating bond. Tears welled in my eyes when I felt nothing at the other end, half of it fluttering into emptiness. Space where his soul was supposed to be. A broken little cry slipped out of me. 

_ Please,  _ I whispered to that void. To the Cauldron, or to him, I didn’t know.  _ Come back, please.  _

The others were shouting, screaming, sobbing. Tarquin was on his knees, his face buried in his hands. Viviane was beside us, arms around Mor as sensation faded from me. Thesan was crouched over Rhys, possibly feeling for a heartbeat. A sign the Cauldron would keep its bargain. 

Helion knelt on my other side, breath rasping. “What did you - “

He didn’t finish, as I gave a small smile and glanced at Rhys one more time. 

“Feyre, why?” Mor murmured brokenly, drawing my blurry gaze back to her. Sorrow and pain - pain, for losing Amren, and Rhys, and now me - filled her eyes. I smiled at her. There was a faint  _ tug  _ on the other end of the bond, and darkness creeping into my mind. 

The darkness wasn’t the gentle, star-kissed breeze of my power, or Rhys’ soothing ebony caress, or even the roiling black of a nightmare. It was empty, without stars or the moon or comfort. It was nothingness. 

I welcomed it. 

Another faint  _ tug  _ on the bond. My heart shattered a bit more as I felt  _ him  _ at the other end. 

_ I love you,  _ I breathed down the bond, hoping it reached him. I let go of my grip on reality and felt myself tumble over the edge, back into that oh-so-familiar darkness. The nothingness I’d felt once before. 

As everything faded for the last time, I thought I heard Rhys scream my name. 

**Author's Note:**

> . . .This is actually much worse than I thought the first time I read it. 
> 
> Oh, well. I'll post this and try to forget that I posted something this wretched on the internet.


End file.
